Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Aging People Living With HIV in Chronic Pain

NCT ID: NCT03699020

Last Updated: 2023-11-18

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 13 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-01-07
• Study Completion Date: 2022-06-30

Brief Summary

Chronic pain impacts a large proportion of aging people living with HIV (aPLWH) and involves factors directly related to HIV (neurotoxicity) and psychosocial co-morbidities common in aPLWH (i.e. social isolation and loneliness). The investigators hypothesize that novel interventions that acknowledge these psychosocial co-morbidities may improve the efficacy of chronic pain management and minimize the use of potentially dangerous medications. This grant proposes to adapt and pilot a pain psychotherapy approach using group acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in aPLWH with chronic pain.

Detailed Description

Chronic pain affects a very high proportion of aging people living with HIV (aPLWH) and is thought to be related to both direct toxicity of HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) and by psychosocial factors that negatively affect pain (i.e. loneliness, HIV stigma). PLWH are also at increased risk for prescription opiate misuse. However as PLWH age, non-opiate medications used for pain can contribute to other negative outcomes such as falls, altered mental status and gastrointestinal bleeding. Thus there is a critical need for the development of novel interventions in the management of chronic pain in aPLWH that consider the psychological co-morbidities of aging with HIV and that can minimize the need for prescription medications. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has previously been evaluated in older persons with chronic pain and has demonstrated higher levels of satisfaction and efficacy when compared to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). ACT has never been evaluated in aPLWH for chronic pain, but has theoretical advantages over CBT for this population. Specifically several negatively modifying factors of CBT efficacy such as cognitive deficits are common in aPLWH.

The overarching objective of this study is to determine the acceptability and feasibility of an ACT intervention for the management of chronic pain adapted to aPLWH. To accomplish this objective the investigators will 1) train lay personnel to perform ACT to determine feasibility of this approach for future implementation, 2) conduct uncontrolled group ACT in aPLWH to generate participant feedback and questionnaire data to inform ACT adaption with the assistance of a steering commitee, and 3) conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the acceptability of adapted ACT compared to pain education. At completion of this grant the investigators expect to have successfully trained lay personnel to perform group ACT, adapted ACT from quantitative and qualitative data collected from an uncontrolled study of group ACT, and determined whether ACT is acceptable and feasible as an intervention in aPLWH. These expected outcomes may benefit other aging populations with chronic pain that are enriched for psychosocial co-morbidities such as persons who inject drugs, the socioeconomically disadvantaged, and racial or gender minorities. This proposal is aligned with the Office of AIDS Research High Priorities to better understand "HIV-associated comorbidities" which includes pain and to "Reduce Health Disparities in treatment outcomes of those living with HIV/AIDS" and with the National Pain Strategy to "expand investment ... in the development of safe and effective pain treatments."

Conditions

HIV/AIDS; Chronic Pain

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

The intervention will consists of eight weekly two hour group ACT sessions led by trained lay personnel and followed by homework. ACT is a behavioral therapy.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Empirically based behavioral intervention that encourages acceptance of circumstances with commitment and behavioral change strategies to improve psychological flexibility.

Education Control

Consists of eight weekly two hour group chronic pain education sessions led by trained lay personnel and followed by homework.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Chronic Pain Education

Intervention Type: OTHER

Education materials about living with chronic pain developed by Weill Cornell Universitys Translational Research Institute for Pain in Later Life

Interventions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Empirically based behavioral intervention that encourages acceptance of circumstances with commitment and behavioral change strategies to improve psychological flexibility.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Chronic Pain Education

Education materials about living with chronic pain developed by Weill Cornell Universitys Translational Research Institute for Pain in Later Life

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• HIV seropositive
• Diagnosis of chronic non cancer pain
• English speaking
• Deemed appropriate for study by primary care provider
• Consents to participation

Exclusion Criteria

• Cancer associated pain
• Unwillingness to participate in audio recorded sessions
• Enrollment in hospice
• Moderate to severe neurocognitive deficits (MOCA < 16)
• Currently undergoing other psychotherapy for chronic pain

• Minimum Eligible Age: 50 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of California, San Diego

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Maile Young Karris

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

AntiViral Research Center

San Diego, California, United States

Countries

United States

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Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

1R03AG060183-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

180837

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id